Stolen
by Hitohira Hanabira
Summary: That girl we'd once thought that vanished into thin air, has come back. Her sudden appearance has lead many people to disbelief. Now she returns to steal Salamander's heart, but is it okay?
1. Envy

**That girl we once thought that vanished into thin air, has come back. Now she returns to steal Salamander's heart...**

* * *

It was a strangely bright morning that fateful day; the sun shone a little brighter; the sky seemed more luminated; and the birds sang joyfully as if someone they cared dearly about, finally arrived.

As Lucy walked down the hard pavement, she noticed Natsu and an unknown girl; she fairly reconized, talking around the little house that Natsu mentioned, a long time ago. Lucy strode a bit briskly towards the two; as if they were about to break into a run. When she became within earshot, she heard a familiar laughter that rang in her head like a crystal bell - a voice that she faintly remembered so long ago, that it came to her as if it was a dream.

"Oh, do you remember that time when we both raised Happy here, six years ago?" Natsu remarked.

"Yeah, that was the good ol' times! Oh it's so good to see you again, Natsu!"

Natsu hugged the girl tenderly, but also firmly, like as if he didn't want her to disappear again without a single goodbye. Natsu noticed Lucy a few metres away, looking stunned as if she'd seen a ghost. Quickly, he withdrew his embrace, slightly embarrassed. Muttering an apology to the girl, he rushed to Lucy's side.

"How are you doing, Lucy?" Natsu said, wishing that Lucy wasn't there to see his tender embrace with Lisanna. It was just that he hadn't seen her in such a long time; two years in fact, and she'd left without a goodbye, leaving Natsu wondering why.

"Yeah, definitely; watching you hug another girl is my cup of tea. Don't mind me, I think your friend's waiting for you. Don't let me ruin your fun," Lucy spat bitterly.

"Come on, you can't get jealous over this one minor thing?"

"Oh, so now you're calling me an over-obsessive girlfriend!?"

In outrage, Natsu said the most horrible thing to Lucy, "**FOR THE LAST FRICKIN' TIME, YOU'RE NOT MY GIRLFRIEND! WE'RE NOT EVEN DATING!**"

Lucy stared at Natsu in utter horror; eyes filling up with tears that were threatening to spill.

Collecting her emotions; with her voice breaking every word she muttered, she managed to mumble, "At least I'm committed to _us_!"

Out of boiling anger, Natsu retorted back, "**There is no _US_!**"

Lucy turned away, clearly hurt by his bitter words. She's confided in him a month ago, and _this _was his answer? She quickly glanced back at the girl, and turned back to Natsu, saying with fury, "Your _girl _is waiting; you better not keep her."

He suddenly realized what impact his words had had on her, and he quickly tried to reach out to her, but Lucy shrugged his hand away, and walked away. She walked glumly back to the guild, dragging her feet holding back the tears; trying to not show weakness. Natsu stood there rooted to the ground, unable to comprehend what just happened a few seconds ago. What _did _happen in the first place? Did she just dump him, even though they weren't technically even dating? He looked desperately back at Lisanna.

"Go to her. She needs you more then I do. I'll wait. Don't worry," she assured him.

"Are you sure, Lisanna? I mean it's been-," Natsu got cut off.

"Yes, I'm sure. I've been gone for two years, but now I'm back for good. I won't go disappearing on everyone else, okay?" Lisanna ushered him in the direction which Lucy'd left in. "Go on, Natsu."

He thanked her and ran towards the guild, shortly meeting up with Happy.

"What happened there, Natsu?" he asked.

"Nothing. Don't ask."

"Aye sir!"

Banging open the doors to the newly built guild building, he called out Lucy's name. That brought a lot of attention to himself, and many people were already overwhelming him with whispers and constant stares.

"I gotta find her," he muttered under his breath.

"Whoa whoa whoa, Natsu! Aren't you in a hurry!" Makarov called from above.

"Sorry, I gotta find Lucy," he explained.

"You're outta luck. She just left the guild a couple minutes ago, grumbling something about some girl."

"Oh. Thanks, pops!" Natsu waved and broke out into a run once he was outside. He knew just where Lucy'd gone to recollect herself - her house. He knocked loudly on her door, but it didn't open a single crack. "Oh come on, Luce!"

The door cracked open and Lucy stared at Natsu. She was in her pajamas and her eyes were bright red, as if she'd just cried her heart out.

"W-what do _you _want? Where's your white-haired girlfriend?" she sniffed loudly.

"We're not in that kind of relationship, Luce. She's been missing for two years, and suddenly she appears. Plus, her name's Lisanna."

"I don't care what her name is! And I don't care if she's been missing for all these years! We made a contract that we'd have each other's backs, when we first met! Don't tell me you forgot that too! Natsu, look, I need time alone. It's clear that you've made your choice," and with that, Lucy slammed the door at Natsu's face, leaving himas stunned as ever.

"Oi, open up! I'm not done with you yet!" Natsu shouted while banging his hands on the door.

"Natsu, I think it's better to leave Lucy alone," Happy told him.

"I think you're right. I'll wait 'till she cools down."

"Aye!"

Lucy heard everything outside, and she cried even more; gut wrenching sobs, taking every last bit of energy she had. Plue waddled to her and began to calm her down with his actions. She looked at him and hugged him tightly, "Oh Plue! You're the only one left who I trust... At least you won't go behind my back and go off with another girl."

He responded with his usual, "Pluu-pluuu", instantly cheering up Lucy.

* * *

Lucy walked to the guild the next day and do her usual business: checking the Jobs bulletin board for a job, so that she could pay for rent to the land lady. as she briefly glanced at it, she spotted a very high paid, but simple job. The Phantom Lord guild was causing trouble again; destroying Blue Pegasus' building, and threatening their members. The job simply wanted Mages to repair the building, and no more. There were only several Mages left from the guild, and they were forced to ask for help from other guilds. Lucy thought to herself, and wondered, if she should take this mission by herself. It was a normal job, so she could participate, but at the same time, she'd experienced Phantom Lord's true anger and fury once. They'd bomboarded Fairy Tail once, and they sure regretted it. Now they were targetting another guild for probably the same foolish reason.

"Hey Lucy!" Happy called out happily.

"Oh Hi Happy," Lucy replied, keeping her eyes fixated on the bulletin board even though her mind was set on the job.

"Whatcha doin'?"

"Finding a suitable job so that I can pay my rent."

"Can we come too?"

"No, I want to take this job by myself," Lucy responded a little too hastely, indicating the impression that she was mad.

"Reeeaaallly? Is it because of you and Natsu's fight?"

"Shut up, you blue flying Exceed cat!"

"You llllllliiike him!"

"Shut up!"

"Don't worry, I won't tell!"

"I said, shut up!"

"Hey, Happy!" Natsu beckoned his friend over. Lucy immediately turned away promising herself not to go weak in the knees, and fall into Natsu's arms. She snatched the Phantom Lord job, and ran over to Mirajane.

"I'd like this job, please!" she spoke in a rushed tone as if Natsu was going to stop her.

"Okay! Have fun, and be safe, Lucy!" Mirajane cheerfully encouraged her.

Natsu ran up to her and began interrogating her, "What's Lucy doing? Where is she? Is she coming back? Why is she off alone? We're a team! Why did you let her? Oh you're no help!"

Before poor Mirajane could answer, Erza stepped up and confronted her, "Is Natsu bothering you again?"

"Ah no, he's just wondering why Lucy stopped by."

"'Cause if he is, I will make him pay."

"No no, it's fine!"

"You sure?"

"Yes yes!"

* * *

In the meantime, Lucy was busy packing up for her mission, until she heard a knock on the door. She peeked through the eyehole, and was surprised to see... Gray. She quickly opened the door to let him in. They walked to the living room, and Gray got a closer look at Lucy.

"Hey! Whoa... what happened here?" Gray immediately noticed Lucy's red, puffy eyes, despite of her effort to hide them.

"Nothing. So, w-what's up?"

"It's not 'what's up'. Clearly you've been bawling your eyes out like there was no tomorrow; what happened? I'm your team mate, and not to forget your _friend_, so you can trust me."

"Well, it all started with that Lisanna. I don't know why, but I don't hate her. I mean, she and Natsu were hugging in front me...so I might've been a little jealous, but I am his..uh.. um!Well still, how could I _not _hate her for doing that? I don't know. I mean, when I tried to ask for an explanation, Natsu refused to tell me, and starts an humongous argument with me!" Lucy's voice was starting to break again. "And now he's gone with some girl named _Lisanna_. What should I do, Gray?!"

Right then, Lucy was in tears again.

"Shh shhhh, don't worry. Natsu really cares about you, he wouldn't do that to you," Gray reassured her in a soothing tone. _Hell yeah right he wouldn't! That two-faced bastard wouldn't care if someone was willingly to die for him! "Oh Lisanna! I'm so glad you're here!" while the other person is killing themselves to even be able to be around him! Hell, Lisanna's been gone for two years now; left without a single goodbye. And, now that she's back, I can't believe Natsu is really ready to give up this sweet deal with Lucy for her! _Gray thought angrily in his head, trying not to show his frustration.

"Thanks, Gray." Lucy made out as she was stuffing her nose with as many tissues as her delicate hands could hold.

"Don't worry, if he ever hurts you again, he'll be dealing with _me_." Gray softy said as he held Lucy to his chest.

Lucy rested her head against the Ice Mage's shoulder, deeply surprisingly the latter. However, he did like it. Gray draped his arm around Lucy, as if he was protecting her against the unknown predators of the wild. Lucy grabbed onto his shirt, that he, for once, was wearing. With a tender look on his face, he gently embraced her, and the two stayed like that a while. Lucy was very confused by his actions, but made no attempt to protest. Gray kept wondering in his head why Natsu would leave Lucy ever so vulnerable like that...

* * *

Three weeks passed and still no sign of Lucy; she was still on the job. Natsu began to worry and tried to scout for her, but with no avail. A simple job like that would only take a week, at most. It wasn't asking to beat up Phantom Lord, nor was it asking for revenge to recruit more Mages. It was only building repairment. But if it was just that, what was taking Lucy so long? She had her keys, especially Taurus, so what kept her from returning?

"No! What I'm saying is we should go look for her! She's been gone for a month now; can't you see?" Natsu tried to reason with Erza, who was holding him back from the guild's doors.

"Natsu! This is her job, and she chose to finish it on her own! Have some curtsy, and show some respect! Don't you you have faith in her? Do you think she failed?" Erza bellowed at him.

"You don't understand! I-"

"It's alright if I don't! But what I'm saying is, you can't go and find her! She could be anywhere; we don't know Blue Pegasus' location at the moment!"

"Then we find out!"

"You're so stubborn! Lisanna, get him away from the doors! Lock him if you have to!"

"Natsu, forgive me," Lisanna dragged him away and into the meeting room. "Please forgive me for doing this; you know very well what happens when you aggitate Erza."

Just when everything was looking down for Natsu, Gray walked in, "Hey now, I believe you. Even if it's just repairing a building, it shouldn't last that long, right?"

Lisanna walked out of the room, "Well, pardon me; I'm going to help Mirajane organize the jobs."

Natsu looked up and gave him a sad smile, "I can't leave."

"Then we'll go together," Gray held out his hand. "I'll sacrifice my life for Lucy."

"She's mine, not yours. You have Juvia, but wait! Lyon's hitting on her, so you better make your move before then!"

"I heard you guys got into a fight because you were hugging Lisanna! You claim her to be yours? I really still can't get over why in the first place she fell for you! Plus I don't have feelings for Juvia; feast all you want Lyon, my ass!"

"Wait, how did you know about the fight?"

"The _whole guild _knows, baka! You're not fit for Lucy!"

"What the hell did you just say, Captain Underpants?"

"Oh, I meant exactly what I said, Flamebrain!"

"So you're saying that _you're _the best match for her?"

"Hell yeah! Look at you! Pathetic. And I hope you know that she gives_ amazing_ hugs! But you wouldn't know about that, now would you?!"

"You hugged my girl?"

"Yeah, and she actually liked it!"

"You flirt too much! Playboy!"

"Oh, look at who's talking, Mr. Oh-I'll-just-hug-my-ex girlfriend-in-front-the-girl-who-actually-cares-ab out-my-well-being!"

"Lisanna's not my ex-girlfriend! She wasn't my girlfriend at all!"

"Apparently that's what you said to Lucy also! Now why don't you explain that to her! Oh wait, that's right, she left because of _you_! Or you would've done your little explaining when she was bawling her eyes out! Let's see if she'll believe you now!"

Fire clashed with ice, as the two Mages fought in the room.

"Get back here, iceblock!"

They exchanged punches and kicks, but the rest of the guild surprisingly didn't notice all the commotion they were making in the room. After exchanging a few more blows, the floor rumbled loudly. Natsu and Gray payed no attention, and continued their quarrel. After one punch to the ground, the floor gave in, and Natsu and Gray plummeted down through the ground.


	2. Journey

_After one punch to the ground, the floor gave in, and Natsu and Gray plummeted down through the ground._

* * *

Shocked, Natsu and Gray looked around; only to find rubble, and debris.

"Look, Gray! Where the hell are we?!" Natsu was quick to point fingers at Gray.

"So all this is _my_ fault now?" Gray retorted back angrily.

"We wouldn't even _be _here if it weren't for you and your anger management issues!"

"Oh, so _I _have anger management issues, who destroyed the floor in the first place, Flamebrain?"

"So if _you're _the smart one, why don't you get us out?"

"_Fine! _I will!"

The two Mages turned their focus back to the long, worn out, tunnel ahead of them, and a long, prosperous journey was born...

* * *

After a few minutes of walking down the crumbling pathway, Natsu began to whine.

"Are we there yet?"

"Where? We don't even know where we're going, baka!"

"Well, you're the one who suggested us to go this way!"

"Because there_ was _no other way!"

"Just get us there!"

"Oh, _suck it up _and find your masculinity! Whoops, my mistake, you have none!"

"Stop your jabbering, and just get us somewhere!" Natsu grumbled back in agony.

They continued walking for half an hour, before they took a stop. They noticed that the walls of the endless tunnel were getting narrower and narrower by the second.

After a few hours, they reached a forked path. Unsure of their next move, they began to bicker...again.

"Let's go to the right!" shouted Natsu.

"No flamehead, we're going to the left!"

"Why do you get to choose where to go next?"

"Well because I'm the _smart_ one."

"Ya, the only thing you're good at is stripping!"

"Well, at least I am good at something!"

Once the two Mages got tired of arguing about every little thing, they decided to go their separate ways.

As the two started to go their own ways, a few minutes later, the path became one once more.

"Really, I'm stuck with you again!" Gray shouted as he threw his hands in the air, frustratingly.

"Well, I'm not too overjoyed about it either! Do you actually think I _want _stick around with the guy who stole Lucy from me?!"

"Again, I'm telling you; she came to _me_!"_  
_

They decided to put up with each other for the sake of Lucy, and they were really trying hard. However, they were making progress. Minutes passed without a single insult. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. Up ahead of them were five paths. they could only go through one, which one would they go through.

"Oh great mother of-" Gray mumbled when he noticed the five paths ahead.

"I say left. The very left," Natsu pointed to the rugged path to the left.

"No no, the one to the far right!" Gray injected.

"No! Left!"

"Shut up! Right!"

And their bickering began. Again. While the argument worsening; with Gray atop Natsu, beating him senseless, the Flame Mage noticed something shiny in the middle path. Despite the lack of light in the cave he managed to walk toward it like a moth to a flame.

"WTF man!" Natsu squirmed on his side trying to recover from their small fight, and heave Gray off. "Hurry up and get the frick off! How much do you even weigh? Anyways, I think I see something!"

"You _always _manage to "see" something," Gray replied back, as he got off of Natsu.

"Hey, this is one of Lucy's earrings!" Natsu exclaimed, as he approached the shining object. "The person must have taken her from here."

"Good job!" Gray said sarcastically, with a tinge of annoyance in his voice, clearly disappointed that he didn't see that clue before Natsu did. "For once you actually proved to be useful..."

"Come on, slowpoke!" Natsu called.

"At least I'm not totally useless and a worthless piece of-," Gray retorted back before he was interrupted by Natsu's laughter.

"Just hurry up, man!"

* * *

**Meanwhile with Lucy..**

"Let go of me, you creepy stalker!" Lucy struggled against the ropes that were binding for limbs together, as she writhed around the back of the truck in pain. "I don't know what your motive is, but you better unhand me, you freak!"

"No," the driver smirked darkly.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Everything."

"Shut up, you're not helping this situation!"

"Nor was I attempting to."

"Where are we going?"

The driver refused to answer her question for the fifth time, "Somewhere."

Lucy sighed loudly, "Can you not be so vague with directions?"

"No."

Then, as discreet as possible, Lucy strained her fingers to her key pouch and fingered Loke's key. Since he was the leader of the Zodiac Gate keys, Lucy had absolute faith that he would win this battle.

"I know what you're doing back there, missy, but I'm sorry to say that magic doesn't work in this Jeep. This Jeep, and your ropes are magic-proof. My boss specifically scattered the spell for that, so don't try opening any Zodiac gates. If you do, it _will_ backfire, and one-fourth of your magic will be drained. I suggest you not to do anything out of line behind my back," the driver informed her, treating her like a toddler.

She grumbled in dismay. The ride was so long that she started wondering when were people going to realize that she was missing. Were they coming for her? Or were they just fawning over the new arrival of "Lisanna"?

* * *

**In the meantime...**

Natsu and Gray ran through the long, twisting tunnel, but they soon came to a stop. In front of them was a brick wall. Their path lead them to a dead-end, and they couldn't do anything about it. Or could they? **  
**

"Let's break down this wall! I bet there's something at the other side that someone didn't want us to see," Natsu jumped excitedly.

"Are you crazy? In case you haven't noticed, we're _under _our guild building! What if the explosion triggers something above, and the entire thing could crash down on us! Needless to say, our guildmates will be at risk! They could even die!" Gray argued, "Remember this isn't one of your adventurous TV shows you watch endlessly on Sunday mornings. Unlike you people respect me and so, I want to live!"

As Natsu shrugged off gray's ultimate failure to insult him he said,"We might be under the building, but this tunnel sure is long, and I bet we're not even close to the guild anymore! I mean, think about it, Gray. This tunnel goes straight with a few occasional turns, but it's mainly straight. Our whole guild's dimensions aren't that long! Plus, the tunnel's getting narrower and narrower, so that means that we must be close to the end! And I bet that we're now right under the paved road outside of the guild's entrance," Natsu debated.

"Wow, you're actually thinking. That isn't like you Natsu; are you feeling fine today? It took sixteen years, but you finally thought of an understandable theory! I'm shocked; I thought your head was as hollow as your heart! Anyways, we should test if your theory's correct. If it isn't, you owe me_, _Lucy, _and _the whole guild an explanation. _Plus, _you'll have to reconstruct our guild. Still up for it?"

"Hell yeah! I'm all fired up!" Natsu shouted. He took a deep breath, cupped his hands in front of his face, and breathed out... fire. That was his signature move, Fire Dragon's Roar, and it was quite effective. Too effective, actually. The wall crumbled down like he wanted, but so did the tunnel's walls.

"Baka! You overdid it!" Gray threw his hands up in frustration. "I am never trusting you next time! Well, actually there _will_ be no next time, because now we're going to die here alone with no one knowing that we're down here!"

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked meekly.

"Everything! Just look at it! These walls may collapse anytime soon!" Gray touched them, and he jumped back in panic. "Look, it's practically ashes!"

"Then you freeze them!"

"You think that'll work? No, it won't. Because you're an idiot, an idiot! You overdo things and expect others to fix it for you!" Gray fumed.

"No, it will! Ice will mold anything, and it can meld anything together!"

"Exactly! The same way with Lucy's heart! You just admitted it yourself! Fire can only burn, while ice can meld. More proof why I'm a better choice for her!"

"Leave Lucy outta this, okay? Just fix this up so we can finish our journey to find her!"

"You created this mess."

"And you fix it! I certainly can't!"

"For Lucy's sake, I'll put up with you. But in return, after this, I have every right to beat you up!" Gray shouted at Natsu. He extended his hand and slapped his fist on top of it. In an instant, the tunnel was frozen, and Natsu was leaping with joy.

"I knew you could do it after all!" Natsu gave Gray a toothy smile wider than the Grand Canyon.

"Let's just go," Gray stumbled ahead.

"Works for me," Natsu shrugged and ran to catch up with Gray.

* * *

**At the back of the Jeep...**

Lucy still tried to struggle against the strong ropes that were binding her in place, but her remaining strength was failing her.**  
**

"Havin' a rough time back there without any magic, or strength? You havin' fun? I would kill you, but I can't. Not because of my boss' orders, though," the driver called back to her.

"Yeah. Like having magic-proof ropes tied around you in a magic-proof truck is considered "fun". Let's see you try it!" Lucy replied sarcastically.

"It's a Jeep, not a truck!" the driver retorted. "There's a huge difference!"

Now that she said it aloud, a light bulb clicked in her head. It was magic-proof, so she couldn't use any magic at all. Though that might seem like her downfall, it was more like the enemy's disadvantage. She always carried a normal whip around with her. It was a normal whip, and it used no magic at all. Of course, since she was a Mage, it was only logical for everyone to think she plainly relied on magic; but they were wrong. Lucy was also an expert whip specialist, and she was very skilled. With the speed of lightning, she grabbed her whip, and unleashed it. It cut through the ropes easily, and it caught the driver's attention. He stopped the Jeep, came out, and with a flash, Lucy was out cold. Carefully, the driver took away her whip, but he didn't notice her keys. As she laid there unconscious, he decided to gag her with a cloth, and tightened the ropes around her.

"That should do it, 'till my next stop!" he said cheerfully, before he got back on his truck and started the engine.

* * *

**In the tunnel...**

The two Mages continued to run towards the end of the passage, and before long, they saw a light at the end. With much anticipation, they raced towards it, not caring what would happen if they found out where the exit would lead them to. They just wanted to get out. When they arrived at the light, brightness showered upon them, instantly blinding them both. When the dazzling light cleared away, they were surrounded by... trees. It was daylight, and they were outside, but where were they? Natsu looked back, and he almost had a heart attack. He could see the guild, but it was only a speck in the distance.


	3. Finding

_He could see the guild, but it was only a speck in the distance._

* * *

Natsu glanced back at Gray, only to see that he was as astonished as he was.

"Ha ha, I told you so, iceblock!" Natsu childishly smirked at Gray, while jumping like the salamander he is.

"Oh shut it," Gray retorted back. "You just got lucky this one time!"

"So, what do we do now?"

"I thought you were the genius with the master plan to get us out! Do you even know where we are?"

"Uh, a forest of some kind, it seems," Natsu shrugged while pointing to the ground. "Hey, look at this! These are tire-marks. It seems to be from a truck, because the tires are too wide and big for a car."

Gray swat down and inspected the marks before finally giving in to Natsu's proposal, "Are you sure you're okay? You've used your head _twice _today, and events like those come once in a millennium. I wonder what motivated you to use logic?"Gray said sarcastically.

"Shut it Gray. I don't see you coming up with any good ideas," Natsu pointed out,"Maybe the marks will lead us somewhere!" Natsu ran ahead, following the marks on the rough leaf scattered ground.

Gray raced to catch up with him. After tailing the marks a couple of metres, they stumbled upon a lake that was quite deep, and quite wide. Their only lead was also gone.

"Please don't tell me the truck drove in the water," Gray whined throwing his hands up in the air in frustration." Even you wouldn't do that, being a Flamebrain; would you?!" Gray turned to Natsu, completely given up.

"Exactly! Maybe there's something at the bottom that nobody knows about, except the truck driver! I say we swim down. Deal, iceboy?" Natsu pumped his fist in the air with excitement and adrenaline.

"Since when have you started using your brain? That is, if you have one. I thought you couldn't swim because you control fire."

"Ya, but I _can_ swim because I'm human, duh!"

"Are you sure, because I have witnessed one too many times that you've messed up!?"

"Let's go," Natsu insisted before diving in the freezing waited impatiently, like he was ready for Natsu to fail, and for him to save the day... again. He surfaced and gasped for air, "Holy shit, this water's cold!"

"It's a lake, not a swimming pool," Gray facepalmed. He dived in the freezing water, but the coldness had no effect on him. Suddenly, the water began to warm, and an orange light was seen from below. "Natsu, WTF?"

"I'b beweating it uop!" the latter gulped water.

"I don't care if you're heating it up, dumbass!"

"It's gauslo bulp-grreatib buight, yooulp shuitgwead!" Natsu bubbled.

"Then light it up! Light the whole place up! You're the shithead!" Gray yelled to the water.

In an instant, the entire lake lit up like a candle, and Gray dove deeper in the water. He motioned Natsu to follow him, which promptly made the latter throw a water tantrum that didn't last long due to the lack of air. Deeper and deeper they went, until Gray's foot violently smacked against a rough surface, giving him a bruise.

"Buoww!" he cried in pain, before he covered up, swallowing even more water. He glanced at the direction of what gave him a bruise, and was surprised to find a cave. Beckoning the Mage next to him, they ventured inside... only to find a rusty latch. Together, they pulled with all their strength, and it slowly began to open. With an annoyed flick of Natsu's wrist, he set the latch on fire, a fire that quickly fizzled out.

"Gua yooulp stupiod?" Gray attempted to yell at Natsu, but with no avail. He heaved the bolt, it came loose and fell to the bottom of the lake. Eagerly, they swam inside and tried to close the door behind them with no such luck. The more they swam, the shallower the water became, until it was only up to their ankles.

"Whoa! Look at this place! So huge... so grand... so old. Hey, there's the truck! I told you it was a truck!" Natsu stared in awe at the cavern. He wandered around aimlessly until he tripped over a rock. Lying on his face, he noticed Fairy Tail's sign drawn on the dirt quite hastily, with a stick. In the middle was a letter. A single letter. L.

* * *

**Meanwhile with Lucy...**

"Where the hell are we, you steel-metal freak!" Lucy struggled vigorously against her kidnapper. "Get away from me!" She was still tied, and she was dragged to an unknown place.

"Shut up, girl!" the man shook her hard. "Cooperate or it's bye-bye to your keys!" He held up her key pouch and waved it in her face. He almost smashed Virgo's key last time Lucy tried to free herself, which felt like hours ago though had truly only been a couple of minutes. For the sake of her Celestial Spirits, she decided to co-operate with the man, even though she loathed every moment.

"We're here. Now get on the platform, girly," he loosened the ropes on her legs.

Lucy hopped on the elevated ground, and as quick as lightning, she kicked the man in the groin, and snatched her keys.

"Gate of the Lion, I open thee! Leo!" Lucy summoned Loke, and in an instant, her kidnapper was on the ground rolling around in pain.

"No one mistreats my owner and gets away with it," Loke said menacingly to the man.

"Ow, this hurts real bad! Your Regulus is very painful; awwch, I think I broke an arm at the least!" the man faked his pain on his arm. "Psych! Nothing can hurt me!" He transformed his arm into a metal rod, and punched Loke to the side, sending him back to the Spirit World. "You, missy, will be standing over here." He grabbed Lucy forcefully, and dragged her to the centre of the platform. "Now, hit me with that special spell of yours!"

* * *

**In the cavern...**

Natsu and Gray were shocked. What did L stand for?

"L..., the guild mark... LUCY! L stands Lucy! Lucy's here!" Gray snapped his fingers, while a light bulb lit up in his head. "Let's go!" He pointed to the direction of a tunnel. He and Natsu took off in a rush, determined to save their fellow guildmate.

The passage wasn't as long as the first, but it still took some time for them to reach the end. Finally, they collided with a cold, metal, door. Standing in front of them was a gate with Fairy Tail's mark on it. Without any hesitation, Natsu and Gray busted through the gate, only to choke on smoke. When the smoke cleared away, they saw two blurry figures of two women tied to a wall with what it seemed to be iron restraints, with weird signs all over the place. Next, they faintly saw the outline of a muscular man with long, spiky black hair, with star-like lights exploding around him.

"That's it! Keep it going!" the man laughed evilly. "With this magic and Fairy Glitter, no one can stop me!"

"What are you doing to Lucy, Gajeel?" Natsu shouted angrily to the man. "Release her at once!"

"Ah, Natsu! Gray too! Sorry, son, I can't stop her. She's already casting Urano Metria; a spell that will put her in a trance for as long as she activates it. All her magic power will be drained if she keeps up like this!" Gajeel laughed manically.

"LUCY!" Gray yelled towards the chained up girl. "Dammit, Ice-Make: Freeze Lancer!" This spell shattered when it neared Lucy, and was ineffective when he tried another Ice-Make, prompting Gray to leave all matters to Natsu.

"Natsu! I'll deal with Gajeel! You go and get Lucy outta there!" Gray shouted towards the Fire Mage.

"Gotcha!" Natsu ran and performed his signature move: Fire Dragon's Roar. This wavered the barrier surrounding Lucy, but it didn't dissipate.

"Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Fist!" he tried again, but with no success. "Damn, how strong IS this thing?"

While Natsu was figuring out a way to destroy the barrier, Gray was having a tough time as well. Gajeel was very strong; being an Iron Dragon Slayer. Most of his Ice-Make magic was deflected and blocked, and he was running out of magic quickly.

"Well, ice king, do you want to join your guildmate over there?" Gajeel punched Gray with Iron Dragon's Club, which was followed by Iron Dragon's Roar.

"I'm not done yet! ICE-MAKE: FLOOR!" the Ice Mage froze the ground, making the Iron Dragon Slayer to slip and fall. "And again! ICE-MAKE: PRISON!" Gajeel was trapped in an ice prison, with no way out. Or so Gray thought.

He activated his Iron Dragon's Scales, and punched through the cage that held him captive. The cage fell apart, and he charged at Gray, leaving the latter no time to dodge or block the blow.

"FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" Natsu fired his Dragon's breath at Gajeel and saved Gray in the nick of time. "Oi, Gray! Next time, be more careful! I have other things to do besides saving your ass!"

"I didn't ask for you help!" Gray retorted back, and their bickering began.

"Well, it looked like you needed it!"

"No I didn't! I could've blasted this guy with my Ice-Make: Cannon!"

"Then why didn't you already?"

"I was going to!"

"Mmhhmmm... right."

"Save Lucy!"

"Oh right! Take care, iceboy!"

Gajeel recovered and ran at Gray at top speed, while drawing his fist back for his Iron Dragon's Hard Fist. Gray foresaw this, and created an ice version of himself, leaving his real self unharmed.

Meanwhile, Natsu was trying his best to free Lucy, but all his attempts were ineffective against the barrier.

"Goddammit! Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" he yelled. Surprisingly, it worked. The wall surrounding Lucy collapsed, but it was too late. Lucy was already drained of her magic power, and she fell limp on the ground.

Gray, on the other hand, was getting beaten up. Gajeel proved himself to be too much for the latter to handle, and Gray was almost out of power. If he used his Ice-Making magic at least four more times, he would be drained clean. However, due to the continuous fighting, Gajeel was also close to running out as well.

"Gray! Switch! Tend Lucy while I deal with this bastard!" Natsu shouted to Gray, while running towards to him.

"He's almost out! What about you?" Gray answered back.

"I'm surprisingly holding up well! Now go!" Natsu charged at the Iron Dragon Slayer at full speed with Fire Dragon's Sword Horn.

The latter dodged, but that was what he expected, for he countered again with Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame; this time, hitting the target. Gajeel desperately tried to deflect it with his Iron Dragon's Sword, but with no avail. With almost no magic power left to defend himself, he still stubbornly decided to hold his ground with his Iron Dragon's Foot Blade. Natsu came crashing downwards with his Fire Dragon's Claw attack, but was injured due to Gajeel's hard Iron Dragon's scales. Not giving up, he tried again with Fire Dragon's Iron Fist, while the Iron Dragon Slayer tried to shield himself from his attacks. Gajeel's Dragon scales were beginning to wear off, indicating that he was running out of magic power, and Natsu took that opportunity to bombard him with a series of Fire Dragon's Claw, Iron Fist, Flame Elbow, and Wing Attack.

"This one's for kidnapping Lucy!" Natsu shouted as he swiped at his opponent with Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang. "This is for torturing her!" he punched him in the face. "This one's for draining all her magic power for your sake!" Another kick in the face. "And this one's for hurting my friends!" Gajeel was sent flying through the air at top speed. Natsu kicked him with his Fire Dragon's Claw when he landed, "Don't you lay a finger on Lucy!"

Gajeel braced himself for the final blow, but felt nothing. He peeked around, and saw Natsu tying him up with fire.

"Now, spill. What is your motive? Why did you kidnap Lucy? More so, why did you _hurt _her?" Natsu interrogated.

"I'm a S-Class Mage of Phantom Lord, and our boss is very strict and horrid. I want to free my guild members by overthrowing him. In order to do that, I need more power, and I heard from a little bird that Lucy has the power of Urano Metria. I also heard where Fairy Tail's secret's hidden, and what it is. Lumen Histoire, do you want me to tell you what it is?" Gajeel answered warily.

"So, basically, you need _all _of Lucy's magic power so that you can overthrow your guild master, and become master yourself? BULLSHIT! Isn't that just running away, you jackass? Deal with your master! You don't need Lucy's power, or Lumen Histoire; you're a Dragon Slayer!" Natsu shouted.

"If you were in Phantom Lord, you'd do the same as well! Jose Porla... you'd kill him! I'm saving everyone from him!"

"You're just taking all magic for yourself. You won't give it back, even if the person's dying!"

"...Even so, I need it!"

"You don't! The other person need _their _magic power even more; it's their protection and their offense! What else do Mages have?"

"This girl you call "Lucy", has a whip."

"Can she live with only a whip?"

"Yes."

"No! She's a Celestial Mage, she needs her Celestial Spirits with her! Let's say you don't need her Urano Metria, why do you search for Lumen Histoire?"

"Because it's the only thing that can destroy Jose! Do you even know what it is?"

"No, and I don't want to either!"

"Okay, so now you've caught me. You know my objective, so now what?"

Natsu thought for a second before answering, "Give you to our guild master, of course!"

In the mean time, Lucy was slowly waking up. Gray was by her side in an instant.

"Nat-wait, Gray?" she whispered softly.

"Yes? I'm here Lucy."

"*Cough* Thank you being there for me."

"Anything for you, Lucy."

"Can you please *cough* get Natsu for me?"

"Why do you want that betraying bastard?"

"J-just get him."

"NATSU! Get your ass over here! Lucy needs you!"

"Then switch with me! We're taking him to Makarov for more interrogating!" Natsu called back before jogging to Lucy.

"You needed me?" he asked quietly.

"*Cough* Yeah."

"I'm sorry if I offended you or anything, it's just Lisanna's back. She left us for 2 years, with a goodbye or anything. She just vanished. But, now we know that it's because of the-," Natsu hastily explained.

"I understand. I truly understand. Mirajane told me the whole story before I went on my mission. It's okay; I'd do the same if my friend disappeared for 2 years with no trace of her whereabouts."

"You just caught us at a bad time."

"I've realized."

"So.. um..."

"...It's up to you."

"The truth is..."

"...Yes?"

"I..."

"..."

"Don't..."

"Go on."

"Really.."

"Mmmhhmm?"

"Like..."

"What?!"

"I didn't finish! Her! I don't really like her! As a crush, but as a friend!"

"So who stole your heart?" Lucy bit her bottom lip.

"Let's see... Erza... wait, nope. Levy, eh... nope. Mirajane... nope..."

"What?!"

"Joking. The person who stole my heart came to Fairy Tail on July 4. Or rather, the person pled to join, as I remember."

Lucy blushed furiously, but tried to cover up; a plan that failed, "W-whaat?" Her voice got an octave higher.

"I remember that she desperately clung onto me because I was a Fairy Tail Mage," Natsu smirked.

"No I didn't! _YOU _told me that you could get me to Fairy Tail, and you did!"

"I didn't mention any names, did I?"

"Who else joined Fairy Tail on July 4?"

"No one."

"Exa-" Lucy was cut off, and Natsu's lips were on hers.

When they broke apart, Natsu whispered softly, and gently, "Happy Birthday, Lucy."

Lucy'd forgotten that today was her birthday, and she was dumbstruck.

"Today's your birthday, right? July 1st?"

"I... Yes, but I didn't think you'd remember."

"Lucy, I remember every single detail about you. Every minor detail: your likes and dislikes, your favourite place in the world, everything."

"So you're saying..."

"You are mine. No one else," Natsu hugged Lucy gently, as if he was avoiding her wounds.

"Should we go back now, lovebirds?" Gray called out to them, and they immediately broke apart.

"Y-Yeah," Natsu picked up Lucy in bridal style, causing her to redden and protest. Of course, Natsu wouldn't hear any of that, and ran towards the exit, with Gray and Gajeel on the tow.

"There's another exit besides that one, you know," Gajeel mumbled under his breath. "It's that way. How do you think Makarov and the other Fairy Tail Guild Masters got out in such a small amount of time?" He pointed to the pile of rocks in a corner.

"Right! That way!" Gray charged, while dragging the Iron Dragon Slayer behind him. "Let's go!"

They dug through the rocks, and crawled out. What they saw was not what they expected at all.

"What?! We're back in the basement?! How is that even possible? Like, we were just in the cave, then the lake, and the huge long tunnel, so how?" Natsu babbled, confused by the outcome.

"Natsu, Gray, and Lucy, come here. Also, bring that intruder with you as well," a deep voice commanded them. They stepped forward with Gajeel.

"Now tell me, what were you four doing downstairs?"

"Lucy went missing, so we went to find her. We got in a fight and broke the floor," Gray spoke loudly.

"I can see that you destroyed the guild floor. The question is: where did you go?"

"We followed a long tunnel, went through a forest, dived in a lake, and ended up in a cave where Lucy was held captive," Natsu jumped in.

"Natsu, this is what happens when you are not meant to explore Fairy Tail's deepest secret. There_ is _no tunnel, forest, lake, or a cave. That was all an illusion. You were caught in the illusion web that 2nd Guild Master put up. In order to go to Lumen Histoire, you have to deactivate it; a spell that only Guild masters know. Basically you guys took the long way. Do you know how many days passed since you left, Natsu?"

"What?! That was all an illusion? But it felt so real! How many days?" Natsu freaked out on the spot.

"That was all part of the spell. Two weeks. Two weeks, did you think none of us would notice? Anyway, I'm glad you're back and safe. As for Gajeel-san, I think he should be a part of Fairy Tail. Of course I don't forgive him for hurting my children, but if we steer him on the right course in life, I'm sure he'll change. So what do you say, Gajeel? Be a part of Fairy Tail?" Makarov asked.

"Fine. Anything to get away from Jose," Gajeel muttered, as he took the Guild Master's hand.

"As for you three, I'm letting you off the hook this time, but don't say anything else to the rest of the guild. Also, I'll be chatting with Gajeel privately, so please take care Lucy while I'm gone."

Natsu placed Lucy down and walked her up the stairs slowly, with Gray trailing behind.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked gently.

"It's not 'do I want to', it's I need to!"

"I'll walk you over to your apartment, okay?"

"Thanks."

"Do you need anything else?"

"Can you stay there with me?"

"Sure!"

In a few minutes, they were in the guild's main lobby, with everyone surrounding them with concerned looks.

"Gray-sama! Juvia's been so worried about you, she almost fainted when she heard that you went missing! Oh, Gray-sama!" Juvia immediately rushed to Gray's side, and began to stroke his arm in an almost loving way. Gray, on the other hand, waved to Natsu anxiously and frantically, hoping that he would see his hopeless situation. Of course, the Fire Mage paid no attention, leaving Gray to fend for himself from Juvia's infatuation with him.

"Lu-chan! Are you okay?" Levy rushed to Lucy's side, and helped Natsu support her weight.

"Yeah, thanks Lev-chan!"

"We're going to Lucy's apartment, right now, so..." Natsu started.

"Oh! I totally get it! I'll leave you two be! Be safe, Lu-chan!" Levy winked at Lucy, understanding what Natsu was trying to say.

The duo limped out of the guild, and in a couple of minutes, they arrived at Lucy's apartment.

"I'm gonna take a bath, so wait here," Lucy limped to her bathroom, while leading Natsu to her living room.

"Are you gonna be okay? Do you need me?" Natsu asked with a worried face.

Lucy blushed furiously, "Do you know what you're saying? I'm taking a_ BATH_. Of course you're not allowed in my bathroom!"

Natsu took another minute to process what Lucy was saying before he caught on, and rubbed his hands devilishly.

"Good bye, I'll be back in a few minutes!"

"You sure you don't need _any _help?" the Fire Mage smirked evilly. "_Any_?"

"Stop it, you perv!"

"Hey, it's better off you than Lisanna!"

"Just let me go. Please. I smell like blood and sweat."

"You're right."

"Shut up," Lucy dragged her feet to her bathroom before Natsu could comment any further. Outside, Natsu waited, and waited, until when it felt like eternity, the Celestial Mage walked out with her hair all damp.

"Finally! You took forever!" he cried joyfully.

Lucy just smiled and laughed, "Now that I think of it, this is the first time that I've ever invited you to my house. The first time."

"You're right."

"And it's the first time where you're not with Happy."

"It's just the two of us."

"Yeah."

The two Mages leaned closer and their lips met. Everything that they'd ever wanted was right there in front of them.

* * *

**Epilogue**

**Lucy's POV**

It's been five years since then, and I'm really happy with Natsu and our child, Satsuki. She's four years old as of today, and she's so cute! She has my eyes, and Natsu's pink hair, making her the most adorable kid, ever! She'll be having a little brother soon, who we decided to name Kyoya.

Natsu and I bought a house near Fairy Tail's guild building and Happy and Carla's little hut. We babysit each other's kids, so sometimes we welcome Shagotte into the household family. They decided to name their daughter after Carla's mother, which I think is very cute.

Anyway, today's Levy's wedding, and I really don't want to miss it or be late! She's getting married to Gajeel, and I can't wait to be there as a bride's maid!

After several failed attempts to push away Juvia, Gray decided to get close to her, and they have two children: Ayaka, and Yuki, both girls. I'm so happy for them! They actually got married a month before us, which I think is weird...

Natsu and I decided to take a break from Fairy Tail to raise our two children, until they become old enough to become Mages themselves. Then, we'll help them and show them around the guild. I'm sure they'll love it just as much as we do.

In the Spirit World, I heard that Loke and Aries got married, as well as Aquarius and Scorpio. I really hope they'll find happiness together!

Oh, Natsu's calling me; we have to go now. Someday, maybe I'll invite you over to our house, and you can play with our children!

Please send my best regards to everyone in the guild!


End file.
